7.1-magnitude earthquake strikes southern Japan; rescue operations ongoing at collapsed shopping mall

A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck southern Japan on July 28, 2026, at 4:27 p.m. local time, collapsing buildings, sparking multiple fires, and trapping people in a major shopping complex. The quake registered the highest possible level of 7 on Japan's Shindo scale of shaking, according to CBS News reporting based on Japan Meteorological Agency measurements. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the same event at 6.8 magnitude.

At least 50 people were taken to hospitals, according to the public broadcaster NHK. Nine people remained unaccounted for in the Aeon Mall in Kashima city, while five had previously been rescued from the same location. Police in Kashima told TBS that there were "a lot of deaths" in the mall but said it would "take time to confirm the exact number," according to CBS News reporting. The police department also received reports of what sounded like an explosion at the Aeon Mall but did not publicly confirm reports of multiple fatalities.

The second floor of the shopping complex in Kashima collapsed, trapping many people inside, according to the fire department, per CBS News reporting. Damage extended beyond the mall: at least 12 houses had collapsed, and one person was killed in a damaged home, according to Kyodo news agency. At the Nippon Paper Industries Yatsushiro Plant in Kumamoto prefecture, a chimney collapsed, trapping 11 people; two had been rescued, and two people found had no vital signs.

Videos showed several blazes, damaged bridges, a derailed cargo train, and cracked roads across the affected area. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi confirmed that power outages and fires were occurring in some areas, roads and bridges were damaged, and buildings had collapsed. About 45,000 households and facilities had no power in the Kumamoto region, according to Kyushu Electric Power. Shaking continued approximately half an hour after the initial quake, according to an NHK staffer reporting live.

The Japan Meteorological Agency initially issued a tsunami alert for waves up to three feet but withdrew it after a couple of hours. No immediate abnormalities were recorded at nuclear power plants, according to the Nuclear Regulation Authority. Three nuclear reactors operating in the Kumamoto region at the time were functioning normally.

Kumamoto has experience with major seismic events. The region was struck by two devastating earthquakes in 2016, one of magnitude 6.5 followed two days later by one of magnitude 7.3, which killed 273 people and injured more than 2,800. Japan accounts for about 18 percent of the world's earthquakes and typically experiences hundreds of jolts every year, according to CBS News reporting. A quake with a magnitude of 7.2 hit northern Japan on June 25, 2026, but caused no deaths or major damage. A tremor measuring 7.7 hit Japan's north on April 20, 2026, injuring at least 10 people.